Peace In Our Time
A glimpse of happiness
Series Two Records
The other day, while walking down the street, I caught myself with one of the songs from Peace In Our Time's debut album "A glimpse of happiness" in my head. Given all the background noise of everyday life here in Berlin, that's quite a compliment to give. Still, I've had a hard time to "connect" with the album's 15 songs. Aesthetically, the acoustic strumming, the vintage drum-computer beats, and the effortless singing by one-man bandleader Johan Regner easily appeal to anyone who likes a modern take on "classic" indiepop. It's the content that made the difference for me, though: While Johan obviously has quite a talent for producing catchy melodies (and seemingly is a very productive songwriter as well), the lyrics are a bit too direct and unimaginative at times. I might sound harsh to criticize someone's lyrics like this but, as always in pop-music, this can only be a matter of personal taste. For me, the record's lyrical deficiencies make it shift from potential hit to background music, which is a shame given all the melodic potential it contains. I'm left hoping that maybe Peace In Our Time's next record will lyrically be on par with this promising tunefullness. But then again, maybe Johan's lyrical style just isn't mine, who knows.
- Arnulf Köhncke
